The Cognitive Approach Explaining Depression

Question 1

Cognitive approach

Answer 1

The term ‘cognitive’ has come to mean ‘mental processes’ so this approach is focused on hit out mental processes e.g thoughts, perceptions and attention affect behaviour.

Question 2

Becks cognitive theory of depression

Answer 2

Beck proposed that there were three kinds of negative thinking, that contributed to becoming depressed: negative views of the world, the future and the self. Such negative views lead a person to interpret their experiences in a negative way and so make them mor vulnerable to depression.

Question 3

Ellis’ ABC model

Answer 3

Ellis proposed that depression occurs when an activating event (A)
triggers an irrational belief (B) which in turn produces a consequence (C) such as an emotional response like depression. The key to this process is the irrational belief.

Question 4

Irrational thoughts

Answer 4

Any thoughts that interfere with us being happy and pain free.

Question 5

Irrational thoughts

Answer 5

Any thought that interfere with us being happy and pain free.

Question 6

Becks cognitive theory of depression

Answer 6

This theory suggests that the way people think (cognitions) create vulnerability for depression. Beck suggested that there were three parts to the cognitive vulnerability

Question 7

Becks cognitive theory of depression

Answer 7

This theory suggests that the way people think (cognitions) create a vulnerability for depression. Beck suggested that there were three parts to this cognitive vulnerability.

Question 8

Faulty information processing

Answer 8

When depressed people focus on the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives. They tend to blow out small problems out of proportion and think ‘black and white’ terms.

For example if someone was depressed and they won £1 million pounds on the lottery they mainly focus on the idea that the previous week someone won £10 million rather then focusing on the positive aspect of them winning

Question 9

Negative schema

Answer 9

A schema is a package of ideas and information developed through experience. They act as a mental framework for the interpretation of information. A self schema is a package of information that we have about ourselves

We use schemas to interpret the world so if we have a negative schemas and self-schema we interpret the information negatively including info about ourselves. Negative schemes help to maintain the negative triad

Question 10

The negative triad

Answer 10

Beck proposed that there were three kinds of automatic negative thinking that contributed to becoming depressed: negative views of the world, the future and the self.
Such negative views lead a person to interpret their experiences in a negative way and so make them more vulnerable to depression.
This is because negative views about the world create the impression that there is no hope anywhere. Negative views of the future reduce any hopefulness and enhance depression. Negative views of the self, enhance any existing depressive feelings because they confirm the existing emotions of low self-esteem.

Question 11

Overview of the negative triad

Answer 11

Question 12

What is cognitive bias

Answer 12

They are prone to distorting and misinterpret informaton